Patrick Kypson beats two-time champion Alex De Minaur in Acapulco opener | ATP Tour
acapulco
Capeson shocks two-time champion De Minaur in Acapulco opener
Knuckle Island, Davidovich Fokina advance
February 24, 2026
Mekstenes
Patrick Kipson celebrated his three-set victory over Alex De Minaur in Acapulco on Monday night.
Written by ATP Staff
Patrick Kypson notched the biggest win of his career at the HSBC Telecom Mexico tournament on Monday, defeating second-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) to advance to the second round in Acapulco. With this victory, the American achieved his first tour-level victory since Indian Wells in 2024.
De Minaur was playing his first game since winning the title in Rotterdam two weeks ago. He came away as champion the past two times he competed in Acapulco, winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. By comparison, Kipson has only three Tour-level wins, all in 2024.
“It feels great,” Capson said. “Everything is important. I have to serve well. I have to return serve well. My forehand is really big. Fortunately, I’ve been able to do those things for quite some time.”
In the deciding set, when De Minaur served for a 5-4 lead, Capeson was two points short of losing. However, the American qualifiers stubbornly forced the game into a tiebreaker and won a hard-won victory in 2 hours and 39 minutes. According to Infosys ATP statistics, he won 71% of his first serve points (48/68) and saved three of the five break points he faced.
“[Staying calm and composed] “It doesn’t come naturally to me,” Capson said. “That’s probably one of the hardest parts of the sport, just being consistent.”
The 26-year-old has moved up seven spots to No. 93 in the PIF ATP live rankings. The former Texas A&M University star has won a tie of four titles six times at the 2025 ATP Challenger level. In the second round, he will face Brandon Nakajima, who easily defeated Elias Immel 6-3, 6-4.
In other first-round matches, 2025 finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina opened his Acapulco campaign with a straight-sets win. The Spaniard defeated Daniel Altmaier 7-5, 6-3 in 1 hour and 34 minutes and will face either Rinki Hijikata or Mattia Bellucci in the second round.
Miomir Kecmanovic, Valentin Vacherot and Aleksandar Kovacevic were also among the winners in Acapulco on Monday. Kekmanović defeated Tristan Skukait 6-2, 6-2 and will face top seed Alexander Zverev or Corentin Mutai in the second round, while Vacherot defeated Coleman Huang 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Kovacevic defeated Adam Walton 7-6(1), 7-6(3).
